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NEWS MyEagleNews.com Wednesday, May 6, 2020 A3 Candidates for circuit court judge spar in online debate By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle Candidates vying for circuit court judge sparred Friday in an online town hall forum hosted by the Harney County Chamber of Commerce. The three contenders — local attorney Rob Raschio, Grant County District Attor- ney Jim Carpenter, and Harney County attorney John Lamborn — answered questions surround- ing sentencing for repeat drug offenders, the court’s efficiency and why they are best suited for the bench. State Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale, moderated and asked the candidates about their expe- riences, backgrounds and what they would bring to the bench. Carpenter said, as a member of the community of Grant and Harney counties, he is suited for this area. “We need a judge who under- stands the situation they are in,” Carpenter said. “One of the jokes I made about myself as a civil litigator was that I would not have been able to afford myself if I needed an attorney. We need someone who understands that the people can’t afford a long and lengthy process.” Carpenter also touted his time as an arbitrator of cases, where he SHERIFF POSITION WILL BE ON NOVEMBER BALLOT Five Grant County positions are on the ballot in 2020, but only the race for sheriff is contested. Incumbent Sheriff Glenn Palmer will face former un- dersheriff Todd McKinley, the director of Grant County Community Corrections. The race will appear on the November ballot because state law requires the position to be elected during the general election. Eagle file photos From left, Rob Raschio, John Lamborn and Jim Carpenter are vy- ing for the circuit court judge position for Grant and Harney coun- ties. The candidates participated in a candidate forum Friday that was hosted by the Harney County Chamber of Commerce. was a judge in an informal setting and rendered decisions. He said each of the cases heard did not go on to higher courts, and his rul- ings were upheld. “I have the broadest range of experience, the background and the tone and the feeling of the community,” Carpenter said. Lamborn said he has 30 years of legal experience and that he is the current justice of the peace pro tem for Harney County and has been for about five years. Lamborn said he hears cases when the full-time justice of the peace has conflicts or cannot lis- ten to arguments. Lamborn said he was also chairman of the Planning Com- mission and Housing Authority in Harney County for eight and three years, respectively. Lamborn also said he was the Oregon State Bar crimi- nal defender, where he worked on legislation regarding elderly abuse prevention and worked on a board that enforced legal ethics rules and violations. “I bring an incredible wealth of information,” Lamborn said. “Given all of that experience, I am your best choice for circuit court judge.” Raschio said that he has run two offices in Grant and Har- ney counties for 18 years and that he has worked on thou- sands of cases that cover a broad range of legal matters where a circuit court judge needs to be knowledgeable. “I’ve served in statewide leadership roles in the Oregon State Bar and gained a deeper understanding of the law,” he said. Also on the November ballot will be the county treasur- er position, where incumbent Treasurer Julie Ellison is running unopposed. Assessor David Thunell, County Commissioner Jim Hamsher and County Surveyor Michael Springer — all incumbents — are running unopposed for reelection and will appear on the May primary ballot. Raschio noted his time as a Grant County commissioner, Burns city councilor and justice of the peace pro tem. “I understand the thorny issues around the public, private interface,” he said. Raschio said, as a Grant County commissioner, he drafted the objection to the revised forest plan that was heavily contested by the community. The candidates were asked how they would deal with youth that come before them in court. Lamborn said, if elected Judge, the rules for youth would be applied differently than they would for an adult. Rob Raschio says he is most invested in the community Jim Carpenter says he is the John Lamborn says he’s the most conservative candidate most experienced candidate By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle Jim Carpenter, Grant County’s current district attor- ney, said he is the most con- servative of the three candi- dates running for circuit court judge. Carpenter said conserva- tives in the legal community were concerned that there was not a conservative voice run- ning for the bench. Carpenter said there is a lot of concern about the threat to citizens’ Second Amendment gun rights. “I am an active shooter,” Carpenter said. “I go to a gun club. I enjoy those activities. I don’t hunt too much, but I enjoy shooting and hanging out with people that do.” “There is quite a variance in support of Second Amend- ment rights,” he added. “There is your Joe Biden: ‘I sup- port the Second Amendment, everybody can have a hunt- ing rifle, and I’m taking every- thing else, but you can have a hunting rifle.’ I think that’s closer to where my opponents are.” Carpenter said there are fel- ons and people with mental ill- ness who should not have fire- arms, but he said law-abiding people who want a gun should have the right to have one. “I think my opponents would absolutely uphold gun restrictions as long as some- body had their hunting rifle,” Carpenter said. “I would be more on the other end that, if you qualify for gun ownership, you can have whatever it is you can buy now.” He said there are “unchecked” meth, heroin and cocaine problems in the commu- nity and that Jim Carpe nter there has been legisla- tion in the last few years that has made possession of almost every controlled substances a misdemeanor if there are no other factors involved. Carpen- ter said his opponents had sup- ported the legislation, while he did not. Carpenter said the trend is getting people help for posses- sion of controlled substances and drug addiction, and he does not object to that, but he said drug offenders need to have consequences as well. Or else, he said, people will con- tinue breaking the law. “I think there needs to be a consequence and a program, as opposed to just program- ming,” Carpenter said. “I think that is one of the areas where we differ in our strategies.” Carpenter said he is all for helping people get better. “I don’t like to see people in trouble,” Carpenter said. “I like to see people succeed.” He said he is not about sending people to jail and forgetting about them, but at the same time those, who break the law need to pay the consequences. Carpenter said, should he win, he would be a “new sher- iff in town,” for lack of a bet- ter term, from day one. He said there would be stricter conse- quences and opportunities for By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle Circuit court judge candidate John Lamborn said, while the judge is a nonpartisan position, he is a very pro-First Amendment candidate. He said people’s reluctance in Grant County to talk about their political preferences surprised him in that regard. “I’m very pro-First Amend- ment,” Lamborn said. “I think everybody should feel free to express themselves.” Lamborn said he is very pro-Second Amendment as well. He said he is a gun owner and a hunter. He said Second Amend- ment rights are an essential part of the fabric of society in Eastern Oregon. “I don’t want anybody trying to take my guns away,” Lamborn said “Although, as judge, if the law requires me to do whatever the law requires me to do, I’ll be required to do it, absent whatever my per- sonal preference is. I’d follow the law as it relates to the Second Amendment.” Lamborn said he understands people’s frustration with repeat offenders in the legal system. He said misdemeanors, prop- erty theft and burglaries are primar- ily a problem in many communi- ties. Lamborn said these crimes stem from lack of employment and lack of education. Lamborn said, as judge, he would work with those offenders to “reach into themselves” to fig- ure out how not to commit those crimes in the future. Lamborn said, if elected circuit court judge, he would tackle docket issues on day one. He said a majority of the cases that come through the 24th “Kids are kids,” he said. “Kids don’t have frontal lobe development. They act without thinking.” Lamborn said the child that comes before him in his court would learn something and will not just be punished. Raschio said that youth should be treated thoughtfully. He said, as adults, people are responsible for the upbringing of their kids, and that includes the community. He said those who make mistakes, intentionally or otherwise, will need to be held accountable. He said the Harney County teen court, which he is involved with, has been successful in rehabilitating youth offenders through peer modeling. “For kids who are accused for more serious offenses, I’ll fol- low the law,” Raschio said. “I will also focus on parents. I’m going to be asking them ques- tions about how their kids got in front of this court, and I’ll be outlining expectations for them about what I’ll expect them to do so their children make changes.” Carpenter said there are two types of juvenile court cases. The first is a dependency case, where there are issues of the par- enting of the child. The other is the juvenile system, where there is a crime committed by the child. Carpenter said, in depen- dency cases, the priority should be to protect the child. He said, in those cases, hard decisions have to be made about whether they should be with their parent or somewhere else. Carpenter said he has been involved in dependency cases as district attorney and a civil litiga- tor for 17 years. “I’m able to make those hard decisions about what is best for a child,” he said. Carpenter said he agreed with Raschio and Lamborn on juve- nile system cases in that he will work to change the behavior of children who commit crimes. Judicial Dis- trict are crim- inal cases and that civil mat- ters, such as divorces and custody cases, John take a back- Lamborn seat to crimi- nal cases. “Those are the cases that tend to languish,” he said. Lamborn said, as judge, he would put those cases on a faster track. “I would work hard to, at least once a month, to have what I would call a divorce-apalooza, and get those cases all wrangled into a single date,” Lamborn said. Lamborn said the court spends a lot of valuable attorney time to manage calendars and when the next dates are going to happen. “I’m not sure that is the kind of thing that needs to happen on the record, like it does now,” Lamborn said. Lamborn said he would desig- nate someone to coordinate dates to give the public certainty about when their court dates will take place. Lamborn said what sets him apart from the other two candidates is his experience. Lamborn said he has practiced law longer than both of his opponents. “I have seen a wide range of cases over my 30 years,” Lamborn said. “I have really seen the gamut of issues. The criminal law is one thing, but I have been involved in a huge number of domestic-rela- tions cases. I’ve been involved in water-rights matters, hunting viola- tions kinds of cases — I can’t even tell you how many of these kinds of cases I’ve seen over the years.” Lamborn said his experience sets him apart from his competitors. By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle Local attorney Rob Raschio said his campaign for circuit court judge has received over 200 endorsements from across the state. Raschio told the Eagle he was looking forward to knock- ing on doors in Grant and Har- ney County, but due to the global pandemic and social distanc- ing, he had to pivot to online communication. “I was looking forward to getting out and meeting people,” Raschio said. Raschio said, throughout his campaign, he has heard people are concerned about the revolv- ing doors in the criminal justice system. “How do we get people to stop recidivating? It is a peren- nial question,” Raschio said. Raschio said people need to be given the right tools when they are released from jail or prison. “We have, first, to give people a chance to succeed,” Raschio said. “We have to tell them they have an opportunity to succeed and tell them there are conse- quences if they don’t, and if they don’t succeed, then we’ll have to put them in jail for as long as we can. Why do we have to do that? Because that is what the com- munity requires of us. Why do we have to do that? Because that is what public safety requires of us, and they need to recog- nize that people deem them and think of them as a threat to the community.” Raschio said the job of a judge is to help people find and identify services for felons who come out of jail or prison. Raschio said, if he were judge, he would like to see Commu- Rob nity Counsel- Raschio ing Solutions and Sym- metry Care in Burns at the time of sentencing and he would do “warm hand-offs.” Raschio said he has been engaged with the community at every level, from his time on the Grant County Court as a com- missioner, to having two kids in the Grant School District. “I am engaged with young people, and I am very bought-in to the notion that our streets need to be safe, because I’ve got to be sure the kids are safe,” Raschio said. “My kids, my friends’ kids, all of my kids’ classmates, all of the kids in this community and down in Harney County.” Raschio said he has demon- strated that by purchasing ani- mals from 4-H kids to sponsor- ing baseball teams. “I’m here, and I care and I want to make a difference,” Raschio said. “And I want to lead, and I want to lead through example.” Raschio also noted his legal background and principles. “I have been the president of the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, a state- wide organization, and I advo- cated for open government,” Raschio said. “That’s because its a principle that I hold dear to me: no secrecy, open government, open court systems. I don’t hide the ball.” Monday - Thursday 7am- 6pm Monday - Thursday 7am- 6pm Friday 8am - 5pm Friday Sharpe 8am - 5pm Mendy FNP Mendy Sharpe FNP Apppointments available Grant County Oregon Covid-19 Coronavirus Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Information Page. NEW E IT WEBS S185394-1 139101 The Grant County COVID-19 EOC (Emergency Operations Center) has a web site. grantcountycovid.com • The new site has a new page dedicated to the EOC that explains what the EOC is, who’s involved and weekly updates. Beth Spell • The Grant County Draft Reopening Plan for Phase 1 is now available for you to view. House District 60 • It provides daily updated statistics for COVID-19 tests undertaken in the county as provided by the Grant County Health Department. Ballots Due May 19 Working together for renewal and revitalization of our District • The website also provides scam alerts, content for families and others impacted by stay at home restrictions, health information to assist keeping you and your family safe. • The website offers assistance on money-related matters for: unemployment matters, employers who have lost business and for small business owners who have been impacted. I am the descendant of early settlers of Baker and Grant Counties who came to Oregon in the late 1800s. I want to see our quality of life maintained with good stewardship of our natural resources while providing leadership in seeking ways to still preserve the livelihoods of those who depend upon the land. • It provides up-to-date information on what is or is not currently allowed. There is content about what you can do to help and there are answers to many frequently asked questions. The EOC welcomes your helpful suggestions for improving the website. Please visit the NEW website: grantcountycovid.com Vote for Beth Spell, Democrat, for Oregon House Distrtict 60 S184172-1 Paid for by Beth Spell S186973-1
